Eight To Compete in Pan Am Jr. Championships

Eight athletesEight athletes, seven home based and one overseas, will begin competing in from Friday through Sunday in the Pan Am Jr. Track and Field Championships in Edmonton, Canada, July 31-Aug 2. The delegation departed on Tuesday.

For four of the athletes, twin sisters Tynelle and Trevia Gumbs, Taylor Hill and Jonel Lacey, it will be their last competition as juniors as they move to U23 competition in 2016.

Tynelle will contest the Javelin Throw, Discus Throw and Hammer Throw, where she has recorded career bests of 40.12m, 46.40m and 44.99m this season, while her twin will see action in the Shot Put, Discus Throw and Hammer Throw. Her bests are 14.83m, 46.49m and 47.66m. Hill, who will join the squad from her Houston base will have Nelda Huggins’ company in the 100 and 200m dashes. Hill, who will take her talents to South Plains Jr. College in the fall, has run 11.83 and 23.84 this year while Huggins has an 11.90 to her credit and a windy 23.92. Lacey will contest both the 400m and 400m Intermediate Hurdles. Joining Lacey in the Hurdles will be Lakeisha Warner. Warner has run the fastest electronic time of 61.07 seconds and Lacey, 61.26.

With a best of 51.87 seconds, Kyron McMaster who will join the Gumbs sisters at Central Arizona College in the fall, will contest the 400m Intermediate Hurdles, marking the second meet that the territory will have three 400m hurdlers in action. McMaster, Warner and Lacey competed in the event during the Carifta Games earlier this year.

Akeem Bradshaw will contest both the Long and Triple Jumps. Bradshaw cut the sand at 7.40m in the Long and 14.87 in the Triple on the season.

The BVI has never won a Pan Am Jr. Championships medal. Eldred Henry was fourth in in the Shot Put and fifth in the Discus Throw in 2013. Samantha John was also fifth in the 800m in 2009.